Adjustable fastener for shirt-bands and collars



No. 625,539. Patented May 23, I899. F. N. BURLEIGH. ADJUSTABLE FASTENEB FOB SHIRT BANDS AND COLLABS.

(Application filed Dec. 31, 1898.)

No Model.)

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- a. a c. m: norms PEYERS co. PHOTO-LYING" \usumcm UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED NORTHRUP BURLEIGH, OF FRIEND, NEBRASKA.

ADJUSTABLE FASTENER'FOR SHIRT-BANDS AND COLLARSr SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,539, dated May 23, 1899.

Application filed December 31, 1898. Serial No, 700,817. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FEED NORTHRUP BUR- LEIGH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Friend, in the county of Saline and State of Nebraska, have invented a new and useful Adjustable Fastener for Shirt-Bands and Collars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to devices for fastening together the meeting ends of a neckband or collar-band of a shirt and for fastening thereto a collar; and the object of the invention is to provide a simple convenient device to which the ends of a shirt-band maybe fastened and adjusted so as to increase or decrease the size of the band to any size collar the wearer may choose to wear for the purpose of making the band and collar fit comfortably to the wearers neck.

A further object of the invention is to provide the device with an adjustable attachment for fastening the collar to such device, and this collar-fastener is allowed a limited play on the shirt-band fastener in order that the collar-button may enter the center of the collar buttonhole to hold the collar in its proper position.

A further object of the invention is to pro- I vide a shirt-band fastener which has a sufliciently broad base, that will be comfortable to the wearers neck, and of sufiicient length to span the overlapped portions of the collarband when it is taken up and also to span the intervening space in the band when it is let out, and the base is also arranged to span the prominent joint formed by the large vertebrae of the spinal column at the back of the neck, thus obviating annoying pressure on any part of the neck and enabling the device to be worn with greater ease and comfort than is the case with ordinary collar-buttons now in use, especially when the collar-button is subjected to the pressure of heavy clothing.

lVith these ends in view the invention consists in the novel combination of elements and in the construction and arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand the invention, I haveillustrated the preferred embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings,

forming a part of this specification, andin which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my fastener for shirt-bands and collars. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the base-plate with the fixed carrying-bar. Fig. etis asimilar view of a slidable plate which supports the collar-button. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view on'the plane indicated by the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a detail View of one form of the adjustable movable post. Fig. 7 is a detail view of a shirt-baud modified to adapt it for the reception of my improved fastener and which may be used with or withouteyelet-hole 33. Fig. 8 is a view of another embodiment of my invention, to be hereinafter more particularly described. Fig. 9 represents the base-plate in an inverted position to show the under side thereof, from which a portion of the covering has been removed. Fig. 10 is a view of the auxiliary movable post or holding-dog.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in each of the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying myinvention into practice I employ a base-plate 10, which is of convenient length to span the overlapped portions and the intervening space between the contiguous ends of a shirt-band and is essentially concave on its rear surface for the purpose of fitting comfortably to the Wearers neck. Near one end of this plate is provided a fixed post 12, and firmly fastened to this post and extending longitudinally of the base-plate and above it just far enough to receive the end of a collar-band of ordinary'thickness is a carrying-bar 15, the side edges of which serve as a track, upon which is mounted the device supporting the collar-button. A slot 11 is formed longitudinally in the base-plate 10, and it lies beneath the carrying-bar 15, and at intervals throughout its length this slot is formed with a series of ofisets or notches 14.

The device which carries 'the collar-button is mounted on the carrying-bar 15, which is disposed parallel to the base-plate 10 at one side thereof. This bar 15 is fastened securely near one end to the fixed post 12, thus leaving a small section of the bar to extend beyond the post 12, while the bar is made wide enough to have its side edges project beyond opposite faces of the post. The bar 15 is supported by the post in a position parallel, or substantially so, to the base-plate, over the slot 11 therein, and the free or unconfined end of said bar lies within the outer terminal of the slot 11 or at its end opposite to the post 12. The carrying-bar is provided with a series of transverse apertures or short slots 16 at intervals throughout its length, and on this carrying-bar is mounted a slidable plate having a locking device to engage with the apertures or slots 16.

The slot 11 of the base-plate accommodates an adjustable post 17, which is arranged to coact with the fixed post 12 in confining the band-fastener to one of the buttonholes in the shirt-band. vided with an arm 18, which has an enlarged foot 19 and is oblong in form. This adj ustable postlies between the base-plate and the carrying-bar 15, and the foot of said post is arranged to fit into the slot 11 and to look into any one of the notches 14 of the slot 11 in the base-plate. By turning the adjustable post 17 to a position where its arm 18 lies at right angles to the slot it may be grasped by the thumb and finger to move the post 17 and the foot 19 of said post into a position lengthwise of the slot 11, so that said foot may be brought opposite either of the ofisets or notches 14; but when the post is reversed in position for its arm 18 to lie parallel to the axis of the slot the foot 19 engages with the notches or offsets 14 to hold the post firmly in its adjusted position.

The arm 18 is prevented from moving out of position by the edges or sides of the buttonhole in the shirt-band'when the fastener is applied to the shirt. The upper end of this post 17 is provided with a groove 39, which encircles the post and forms thereon a head 40, which is adapted to fit into and travel along a longitudinal guideway or slot 21 in the under side of the-bar 15. The post 17 is also provided with a disk 41, firmly fastened to the post just below the groove 39, and the disk is of suificient diameter to extend enough beyond the side edges of the bar to be easily grasped with the thumb and finger and to serve as a means for turning the arm 18 either at a right angle to the bar or in a position parallel to the slot. The outer edge of this disk is milled or.roughened to prevent the thumb and finger from slipping, and the disk is of a thickness barely enough to give it strength to perform its duty, and it does not occupy unnecessary space.

The slidable plate '23 is fitted adjustably on the carrying-bar 15. As shown by the drawings, particularly by Fig. 5, this slidable plate has its edges turned over to form flanges which are adapted to engage with the edges of the carrying-bar l5, and the plate 23 may be moved longitudinally of the bar 15 to assume any desired position thereon. This slidable plate is provided with a fixed post This adjustable post 17 is pro-.

27, firmly fastened to the plate 23, and supported above the slidable plate just far enough to admit a collar-band of ordinary thickness between them is another plate 28, which supports the collar-button, said buttonplate being parallel with the plate 23. In the plate 23 and parallel with it is a slot 24, extending from the post 27 almost to the opposite end of said plate. A spring 25, fastened at the post 27 and having at its outer end opposite the post 27 and underneath said spring a stud which is adapted to pass through the slot 24 and engage with any of the short slots 16 of the bar 15, thus confining the slidable plate 23 against endwise movement on the bar 15. To the outer end of this spring 25 and the end containing the stud is fastened in any suitable manner a hinged post 26, having underneath, at its outer end, another stud 25, adapted to 006perate with the stud 25, engaging with the bar 15, to aid the stud 25 in holding the slidable plate 23 against endwise movement on the bar 15. The principal object of the hinged post 26 is to form a post to coact with the fixed post 27 and to engage one end of a shirt-band. The upper end and stud 25 are adapted to fit into the slot 28 of the plate 28, and thus aid to hold the bar 28 in place and also use to the best advantage the stud 25 in either position.

A button-carrier 31 is mounted on the plate 28, and it supports the collar-button. The button-carrier 31 is allowed play upon the plate 28 and is confined thereto by flanged edges of the plate engaging the plate 28 in the same manner as the plate 23 is engaged with the bar 15, except that shoulders at the side edges of the bar 28 at its ends prevent the slide 31 from being removed from the plate 28. The play allowed to the button 30 and the button-plate 31 by arrangement of the button-carrier on theplate 28 gives freedomof adjustment in securing a comfortable-fitting collar and is also of great convenience in adjusting a collar which by use or otherwise has its buttonholes out of their regular order, as in 'many cases one side of a collar when adjusted is apt to be tighter than the other, and this play or arrangement on the plate 28 is a remedy for this annoyance.

The auxiliary post 20 when in use serves to hold one end of the fastener upon the shirtband by engaging with eyelet-hole 33 when it is desired to fasten the ends of a band to obtain the regular or a smaller size. It also serves to prevent the bar 15 from being drawn out of place at its unconfined end should the, pull or draft be sufficient, as may occur when the band is decreased less than one size. The post 20 has two annular grooves 20, which form at its lower end a foot 22 and at its upper end a head 38. The foot is confined in theslot 11 to travel lengthwise thereof, and the head 38 fits in the slot 21 of the bar 15. The slot 11 of the base-plate extends beyond the free end of the bar 15a sufficient IIO distance to allow the post 20 to be moved therein for withdrawing the head of the post 20 from the slot 21 of the bar 15, while the foot 22 is always confined in the slot 11 of the base-plate 10 and allows enough space between the end of the bar and the post for the buttonhole 33 to pass over the end of the bar.

In Fig. f the drawings I have represented a fragment of a shirt the neck-band of which is designated by the numeral 31. I As is ordinary in the art, one end of the shirt-band is provided with a buttonhole 32, while the other end of the shirtband has a buttonhole 33. In addition to providing one end of the shirtband with the buttonhole 33 I also provide said band with an aperture or eyelet 33, said eyelet being produced in the shirt-band at a point within the buttonhole 33. In applying my fastener to the shirt-band to obtain the regular or a larger size the slidable plate 23 and its attached parts are removed from the carrying-bar 15. This carrying-bar is passed or thrust through the buttonhole 32 at the left end of the shirt-band, so that the fixed post 12 abuts against the inner end of the buttonhole 32, and the movable post 17 has been adjusted in the slot 11 a suflicient distance to engage the opposite or outer end of the buttonhole 32, such adjustment of the post 17 varying in such cases from one-fourth to one-half of an inch, according to the length of the buttonhole,and occupying a position about centrally of the base-plate 10. The slidable plate is now placed on the bar 15 and is fastened thereto byits locking device, so that its hinged post 26 will assume a position as is desired over the adjustable post 17, after which the opposite end of the shirt-baud is placed over the slidable plate 23, so that the outer edge of the buttonhole. 33 will bear against the hinged post 26, while the other end edge of the buttonhole will occupy its position at fixed post 27. The two ends of the shirt-band are thus adapted to be connected by means of the fastener to obtain the regular size of the band. By moving the slidable plate 23 to the right the size of the band may be increased, and said band may be decreased in size by moving the plate to the left, as may be desired by the wearer in order to fit any size of collar which is to be worn.

\Vith one end of the shirt-band engaged with the posts 12 17 at one end of the fastener and the other end of the shirt-band engaged with the posts 26 27 of the fastener-slide the size of the band may be increased slightly by moving the post 17 nearer to the post 12, because the buttonhole in one end of the band permits said band to move slightly with relation to the post 12, and in like manner the band may be increased still further in size by dropping the post 26 to permit the other end of said shirt-band to move with relation to the post 27.

The foregoing description discloses the method of adjusting the parts to increase the size of the shirt-band; but my fastener may also be employed to reduce the size of the shirt-band, as I will now proceed to explain. The fastener is reversed end for end from the position shown in Fig. 2, and the end of the shirt-band, with the buttonhole 32, is drawn over the base-plate and the bar 15 for the posts 12 17 to enter the buttonhole 32, thus having a certain part of theleft-hand end of the shirt-band arranged between the baseplate and the carrying-bar 15. The slide is now fitted to the carrying-bar, and the right hand end of the shirt-band is adjusted for the posts 26 27 to enter the buttonhole 33, and the slide may now be moved on the carryingbar to make the right-hand end of the shirtband overlap the left-handend of said band, thus drawing the two ends of the shirt-band into overlapping relation to an extent desired by the wearer in order to obtain one size smaller than the regular size of shirt-band or to fit a collar one size smaller than the size of the shirt-band. The collar may then be ad justed to the collar-button in its proper position.

Changes may be made in the form and proportion of some of the parts while their essential features are retained and the spirit of the invention embodied, Hence I do not desire to be limited to the precise form of all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

Although I have described the button-plate 28 as provided with a collar-button 30, I do not desire to strictly confine myself to this particular construction, because the plate 28 may be equipped with a hinged or lever button 35, as represented by Fig. 8 of the drawings.

The object in making the base-plate with a concave face or contour is to fit the wearers neck, and it should be broad enough to be comfortable, especially when heavy clothing is worn, such as overcoats in winter-time, and

thus avoid annoyance to the wearer by the additional pressure against the fastener. The

. base-plate is of oblong form to span the prominent joint at the back of the neck whenever the fastener and the joint come in contact and also to span the distance between the button-holes of the shirt-band when said band is increased or decreased from the regular size.

While I prefer to make the plate 23 with the flanges to slidably embrace the carryingbar for the purpose of securing compactness in construction and arrangement of parts, I do not desire to strictly limit myself to this precise construction.

In stamping the slidable plate out of sheet metal, so as to form the longitudinal slot 24. therein, the metal removed from the plate may be bent to form the spring or a part thereof, as shown by Fig. 4:; but, if desired, the spring may be made in a separate piece from the plate and be secured or united firmly thereto. The hinged post 26 of the spring lies at the free end thereof, and it may be pivoted or fastened to said spring in any desirable way.

The same principles as are embodied in that part of the device shown by Fig. 30f the drawings, including the adjustable post 17, may be used upon the slidable plate 23, between said plate 23 and the plate 28, for a similar purpose i. 6., to adjust a movable post a certain distance from a fixed post, so that the posts occupy positions at opposite ends of the bottonhole. It is important that the band be firmly fastened to the base-plate or that part of the device shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and it is not strictly necessary to confine the band as firmly on the plate 23 as on the baseplate 10. I may also employ a lining of pearl, cork, celluloid, bone, hard rubber, shell, or similar materials upon the base-plate on the face which comes in contact with the wearers neck.

My band fastener may be made of any material which is suitable as regards its use and that will work to the best advantage in manufacture. I may combine any one or more of the parts which are herein described for strength, convenience, and least expensive in manufacturingas, for instance, the bar 15 and the post 12 may be in one piece and therefore stronger.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. Ashirt-band fastener consisting of abaseplate provided with a fixed post, an adjustable post connected with said base-plate to coact with the fixed post in engaging with a buttonhole ina shirt-band,and an adjustable plate mounted on the fixed post and having means for engaging with the other buttonhole of the shirt-band, substantially as described.

2. A shirt-bandfastenercomprisingabaseplate having fixed and adjustable posts to engage with a buttonhole in a shirt-band, a carrying-bar fixed on said fixed post, a slide mounted on the carrying-bar and having means for engagement with the other buttonhole of a shirt-band, and a locking device for holding the slide in its adjusted positions on the carrying-bar, substantially as described.

3. A shirt-band fastener comprisinga baseplate, means adapted for engagement with one buttonhole in a shirt-band, a carrying-bar fixed on the plate, a slidable plate mounted on the carrying-bar and provided with a locking device and with means for engaging with the other buttonhole in a shirt-band, a buttoncarrying plate on the slidable plate, and a button mounted upon the button-plate for engaging a collar, substantially as described.

4. A shirt-band fastener consisting of a baseplate adapted for engagement with one buttonhole of a shirt-band, a fixed carrying-bar, a slidable plate provided with devices for engaging with the other buttonhole in the shirtband, a collar-button carried by said slidable plate and an auxiliary movable post attached to the base-plate and adapted to engage the carrying-bar, substantially as described.

5. A shirt-band fastener consisting of a baseplate having a longitudinal slot and a fixed post, an adjustable post engaging with said slot in the base-plate, a fixed carrying-bar, the slidable plate mounted on said bar, a collar-button carried by said slidable plate, and means on the slidable plate for engaging with a buttonhole of a shirt-band, substantially as described.

6. A shirt-band fastener comprising a baseplate having fixed and adjustable posts, a perforated carrying=bar provided with a groove, a slidable plate mounted on the carrying-bar, alocking-spring to engage with the carryingbar, a collar-button carried by the slidable plate a post fixed to the slidable plate, and a button-plate attached to said post on the slid able plate, substantially as described.

7. A shirt-band fastener-consisting of a baseplate havingmeans for engaging with a buttonhole in a shirt-band, a stationary carryingbar on the base-plate, a slidable plate mounted on the carrying-bar and having means for engaging with the other buttonhole in the shirtband, a button-plate on the slidable plate,

and an auxiliary, adjustable post confined by its foot to the slot in the base-plate and the head of said post adapted to engage with a slot in the carrying-bar and an eyelet-hole in a shirt-band, to hold the carrying-bar in place against lateral or upward movement or displacement, substantially as described.

8. A shirt-band fastener consisting of a basea plate of concave-shaped face to fit the contour main posts may occupy a position one above the other within the limits of the ends of the base-plate, said carrying-bar, slide, spring and locking device adapted to occupya position between the ends of a shirt-band so that the end of each band may pass and repass the other, one above the other; and an adj ustable button-carrier supporting a button and mounted upon one part of the device, substantially as described.

9. An adjustable shirt-band fastener, comprising a base-plate having at or near one end thereof a post for engagement with one end of a neckband, a carrying-bar supported by said post, and an adjustable plate mounted on the carrying-bar for interlocking engagement therewith and provided with means for engagement with the other end of a shirtband,whereby the shirt-band may be enlarged or contracted by adjustment of the slidable plate on the carrying-bar, and a collar-button mounted on the adjustable plate, as set forth.

10. An adj ustable shirt-band fastener, comprising a base-plate having a pair of posts arranged to be engaged with the respective ends of a buttonhole in one end of a shirt-band, a

carrying-bar on one of said posts, a slidable plate mounted on said carrying-bar and having fixed and movable posts for engagement with the respective ends of a buttonhole in the other end of a shirt-band, means for making the slidable plate fast with the carrying-bar at any point of adjustment of the plate on said bar, and a collar-button mounted on the slidable plate, as set forth.

11. An adjustable shirt-band fastener, comprising a base-plate, a stationary carryingbar parallel to said base-plate,-a slidable plate, two pairs of posts on said base-plate and slidable plate, with one post of each pair adjustable toward or from the adjoining post of the same pair, and means for locking the slidable plate and its pair of posts in fixed relation to the other pair of posts on the base-plate, as set forth.

12. An adjustable shirt-band fastener consisting of a base-plate having a post, a carrying-bar, a slidable plate mounted on the carrying-bar and having a bnttonhole-post and means for locking the same on the carryingbar, and a collar-button movably supported on the slidable plate and adapted to travel thereon, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRED NORTHRUP BURLEIGH.

YVitnesses:

J OHN ROHRIG, F. C. HINMAN. 

